Because I'm anxious to get to the point of the story, I'm making these chapters in advance. And like the final chapter of Chain Letter, on my R.C.S. Inc. account, all of my reviewers will be posted in the final chapter.
So thanks to the following: Hallow Eve, Dragon-Griot-209, Hiei's-Dark-Little-Phoenix, Chaora 01, and BiggirlSarah for reviewing chapter 1! Without your reviews, I would be extremely sad. I love you guys! Keep reviewing!
Before I begin, I do not own TNBC; Tim Burton does. I own all the OCs and the fabricated town of Shade's Hollow, which was inspired by Hocus Pocus, Sleepy Hollow and All Hallow's Eve. And if you've noticed, the character's names are based off of supernatural things, i.e. Spectre, Wraith, Moonblood. Well, except for Trevis, who was based off of someone I knew in kindergarten who was named Travis. I only met him in kindergarten and never saw him again. How odd is that?
Shade's Hollow
Summary:In the town of Shade's Hollow, every day is spent preparing for All Hallow's Eve, on which the legend of Skeleton Jack comes alive. However, this year, the Hallow's Eve festival takes a startling turn and a young girl is spirited away to the realm of the Pumpkin King of Hallow's Eve, where her loyalty to her hometown and her love for the legend are put to the test.
Chapter 2: Festival
Bella stared at the mirror, inspecting the face she saw there and hardly believing that it was her own reflection. Her black hair was now streaked with orange and the dark eyeshadow and mascara she wore made her eyes seem all the more yellow. Her natural paleness didn't help, of course, but that was never something she could help.
Her home-made outfit seemed to be a cross between a belly dancer's garb and a jester's outfit. It consisted of a thin, black satin shirt with sheer puffed sleeves-the left sleeve, orange, and the right, black-that hung off her arms, revealing her pale, bare shoulders, and cutting off two inches below her breasts, showing off her flat stomach and ribs. Her baggy, low-riding pants were made of silk; the left leg was black and the right was orange (the opposite of her top). A black silk scarf with orange trim was tied around her waist to help keep them up, for she was so skinny that without it they would just fall off. Her ballet flats were also two different colors; the left was orange and the right was black. Various gold, shackle-like bangles adorned her wrists and many rings decorated her fingers. Her aunt Elle had tied a matching scarf around her head, exactly like the one around her waist while her other aunt, Emily, painted her fingernails black.
"Oh, dear, you look beautiful!" Elle gushed over her, adjusting the pants that were slipping down Bella's waist.
"I look like a goth in the Sixties. . ."
"Elle!" Emily cried, "Oh, Elle, I found it! I found it!" She rushed into the room, making Bella wonder when she'd left; she hadn't noticed. She stood before Bella, something clutched in her hands. Emily smiled, heaving a great sigh. "Bella, this is a sacred relic that was said to have belonged to the first Spirit Dancer, over three hundred years ago, used in summoning the King of All Hallow's Eve. It was given to our great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother to keep it safe."
"Keep it safe?"
Emily nodded. "Yes. It's magic was so strong that when she summoned the King of Hallow's Eve, demons and spirits from his world came to terrorize the town. So the Spirit Dancer, our ancestor Rosalie Wishap, with the help of the King, locked away the creatures. It's said that the King himself told her to keep it safe. The Spirit Dancer, in turn, gave it to her daughter, Maria." Emily looked at Elle, who smiled.
"Our great-great-great-great-great grandmother."
Emily glanced down at the relic. "Our family kept it safe and never used it . . . until . . ." She frowned at the memory of three years ago. "Bella, your mother was wearing it when she disappeared. When the festival had ended and we went to look for her in the King's Forest, we found it laying on a cut tree trunk. Since then . . . we've guarded it.
"But Skeleton Jack cannot be neglected. We haven't celebrated the festival in three years. We owe it to him to have this festival. Perhaps he can answer our questions." She smiled. "We believe we should put it to use."
Bella nodded. "Do you really believe that the King brought those creatures with him?" she asked.
"Oh, come now, Bella," Elle laughed. "Now that's just a story. Here." She took the object from Emily and handed it to Bella.
Bella fingered the medallion gently. It was in the shape of a bat with its wings outstretched. The pendant was beautifully detailed; it looked as though it could come to life and fly away. Her eyes began to tear up. "It's so beautiful." She embraced her aunts who then aided her in putting it on.
They each looked at their reflections in the mirror. Elle and Emily exchanged smiles behind Bella's back. "Now you're the Spirit Dancer." Bella turned to them. "Come on, let's not keep the townsfolk waiting."
* * *
Night had fallen earlier than expected. Music rang out through the streets as colorful lights were lit to guide the spirits on their way home. Young kids in costume went door-to-door for their late night Trick-or-Treating, and they became fewer as the night wore on. The hustle-and-bustle increased as Bella approached the town square. Strings of lanterns illuminated the way that the parade would follow through town, through the winding streets towards the graveyard.
Tables were set up in the square for vendors while drinks were being passed around. People of all ages from all over town gathered to pay respect to the dead and to praise the King of Halloween. Bella stared around her at the many people high with excitement, hooting and hollering, pushing their way past.
Escorted by her two aunts, Bella made her way to the very center of the square, where she knew the Mayor would be, where she knew she would be shown off to everyone, up upon the raised platform, where she knew her journey would begin.
Wow, second chapter. Sorry it took so long. I had to do a lot of revisions. I wish I could have explained the outfit a little better; I feel like there was too much detail, but I had to explain it how I saw it in my head. To Hiei's-Dark-Little-Phoenix, eventually, I will explain just what a Spirit Dancer is (it's in an upcoming chapter, but I have to reread and revise it to make it make more sense) soon.
I also want to thank my friend, Sasha, for giving me Nightmare Before Christmas slippers for Christmas. Now I have Jack on my feet! Lol! Merry late Christmas and please review!
